A HISTORY OF KENT 



furniture was not likewise placed on the pyre. The elaborate sword, 

 which is now in Saffron Walden museum, belongs to a definite type 

 represented also on the Continent, and has a ring attached to one side of 



the ogee pommel, perhaps for a sword- 

 knot. Other examples have been found 

 in Kent (as at Gilton), and are not un- 

 known abroad (as Vallstenarum, Isle of 

 Gothland). 



In the national collection are 

 some interesting relics from Wingham, 

 about midway between Sandwich and 

 Canterbury, excavated by Lord Londes- 

 borough (then Lord Albert Conyng- 

 ham) in 1843.' Four graves had been 

 found on a hillside on Witherden Farm 

 some time before, containing beads of 

 glass and amethyst, an iron spear-head 

 and other articles ; and a similar num- 

 ber were opened by his lordship on the 

 hill-top, one being of special interest. 

 It was shaped like the letter T, one 

 skeleton lying at the feet of another : 

 one, apparently female, had an urn at 

 the feet, and about the body a cowrie- 

 shell, beads, two gold pendants' of 

 bracteate form (pi. ii. fig. 10), a silver 

 bracelet, a jewelled hairpin^ and a fine 

 circular brooch * with star design (as 

 pi. i. fig. i). The adjoining skeleton 

 had a bronze bowl " of the usual type 

 on the breast. 



Eleven years later the same site 

 was explored by J. Y. Akerman,' who 

 several that had been rifled. One was 

 that of a woman, head west, with beads and what was considered an 

 iron distaff ; the other skeleton was a male adult with a few relics of 



Sword-hilt with Gilt Mounts, 



CoOMBE (3). 



found two 



graves mtact amont 



Other discoveries of some importance have been made in this 

 area. Several fine specimens of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship are pub- 

 lished' from Wickhambreux, and were found in 1886-7 by the late 

 Mr. G. Dowker in a gravel-pit about one-quarter mile east of Supper- 

 ton. Besides swords, shield-bosses and swords there was found a bronze 

 bowl which lay in a large grave with a sword : remains of a leather 

 scabbard were noticed, and next the hilt, which lay towards the west, 



Jrch. XXX. 550. « Pag. Sa 



Ibid. pi. xi. fig. I; Coll. Ant. i. 104. 

 Proc. Soc. Antiq. 1st ser. iv. 199. 



3l. xi. fig. 4. 

 5 Pag. Sax. pi. 

 8 Arch. Cant. : 

 356 



» Ibid. pi. xl. fig. 3. 



• Arch, xxxvi. 178. 



6-9, figs. 1-6 (coloured). 



